May 31, 1919 



HORTICULTURE 



515 



THE EVILS OF INDISCRIMINATE 

 GRAFTING. 



This morning I visited a most inter- 

 esting garden and almost the first 

 plant pointed out to me was a fair- 

 sized specimen of Viburnum Carlesii, 

 which cm examination proved to be 

 V. Lantana, i. r. stock. Shortly after 

 the owner drew my attention to a pur- 

 chased plant purporting to be the rare 

 yellow-flowered American Magnolia 

 (M. cordata). It proved to be in en- 

 tirety M. Vobus, a Japanese species 

 which had been used as stock. All 

 who have to do with hardy ornamental 

 plants of a woody character are famil- 

 iar with the evils arising from indis- 

 criminate grafting, and nurserymen 

 the world over have much to answer 

 for in this matter. I frankly admit 

 that the art of grafting is a necessary 

 part of the nurserymen's craft, but the 

 mischief is that it is overdone. In all 

 too many cases it is adopted because 

 it is a rough and ready method of 

 quickly producing plants of a salable 

 size. In the case of the red-flowered 

 Dogwood, many Roses, certain hy- 

 brid trees, double-flowered Cherries, 

 Peaches, Wistarias and occasional 

 sports which the desire is to perpet- 

 uate, grafting (or budding) is the best 

 (in some cases the only) method of 

 propagation. But when it is applied to 

 all ordinary woody plants it is a most 

 pernicious method. It is a few years 

 since all our Lilacs were grafted on 

 the Privet or on the common Lilac, but 

 thanks to the fact that the gardening 

 public are awakening to the resultant 

 evils and disappointments the demand 

 for Lilacs on their own roots is bring- 

 ing about their general propagation by 

 cuttings. It is now known that nearly 

 every kind of decorative shrub and 

 tree may be rooted from cuttings, and 

 this is the proper mode of propagating 

 them. A few of the more obstinate 

 may be increased by layering. Species 

 in the main come true from seeds and 

 not nearly enough seedlings are raised, 

 especially of such things as Pines, 

 Firs, Spruces, Douglas Fir, Kalmia, 

 Azaleas, native broadleaf Rhododen- 

 drons, Blueberries, Cotoneasters and 

 the like. The objection usually made 

 is that this method takes too long, but 

 this is not always in accordance with 

 the facts. Anyone visiting the Arnold 

 Arboretum can see shrubs in variety 

 from five to ten feet high and as much 

 through grown in ten to twelve years 

 from the sowing of the seeds; also 



trees from fifteen to twenty feet tall 

 of the same age. At half this age they 

 were salable plants. 



Again, where grafting (and bud- 

 ding) is necessary, as in the notable 

 case of fruit trees, all too little atten- 

 tion is paid to stocks. In point of fact 

 if there is one subject about which 

 we are more ignorant than another in 

 the science and practice of gardening 

 it is that of the proper stock on which 

 to "work," this or that. Those who 

 grow Tree Peonies know the evil aris- 

 ing from the Japanese method of graft- 

 ing them on the strong growing form 

 with magenta flowers and have dis- 

 covered that the satisfactory plants 

 are those "worked" on the herbaceous 

 peony. In Europe it has been found 

 that on certain stocks certain plants 

 may be grafted or budded, but it does 

 not necessarily follow that these are 

 always the best and especially for the 

 American soils and climates. A sys- 

 tematic inquiry into the proper kinds 

 of stocks is a pressing need and one 

 that state colleges and other institu- 

 tions where horticulture is taught 

 ought to direct more of their energies. 

 In the case of ornamentals nurserymen 

 in general would assuredly do well to 

 graft only the few which cannot me 

 propagated otherwise and supply more 

 and more kinds of plants on their own 

 roots. E. H. Wilson. 



ATTLEBORO FLORIST VICTIMIZED 



Howard W. Vose, florist of Attle- 

 boro, is looking for a stranger for 

 whom he cashed a $115 check, and is 

 also on the search for some one who 

 wants to purchase two large floral 

 pieces valued at $35. 



Mr. Vose reported to the police that 

 a man entered the store and ordered 

 two floral pieces, one a large wreath 

 of roses marked "Mother," and the 

 other a piece of roses to be sent to 

 87 Emory street. 



The man gave the name of Frank 

 Moultre. He returned a half hour 

 later, saying that he had been in- 

 formed at the bank here that if Mr. 

 Vose would indorse his check for 

 $115, payment would be made. Mr. 

 Vose did as requested and the strang- 

 er cashed it. 



Later, when Mr. Vose went to de- 

 liver the flowers, he could find no 

 such address as given. He was sus- 

 picious and reported to the police, who 

 investigated at the Boston bank on 

 which the check was drawn, and 

 found that no such person as Frank 

 Moultre had an account there. 



Mr. Vose figures his loss at $150 

 plus the time he spent making up the 

 floral pieces. The police have a de- 

 scription of the man— Bosfon Herald. 



SHRUBS NOW BLOOMING AT THE 

 ARBORETUM. 



Attention is called to the plant of 

 the Chinese Honeysuckle Lonicera Sy- 

 ringatha in the collection of Chinese 

 Shrubs on Bussey Hill, which is now- 

 covered with its small colored and 

 violet scented flowers which have not 

 before been produced in such profu- 

 sion. The arching stems, small leaves 

 and fragrant flowers make this one of 

 the most charming plants blooming 

 this spring in the Arboretum. Many 

 other Honeysuckles are flowering now 

 in the Shrub Collection, and on the 

 right-hand side of the Bussey Hill 

 Road. Here is a good opportunity to 

 see how Bush Honeysuckles of the 

 Tartarian type and its hybrids can de- 

 velop into great shapely bushes when 

 they are allowed sufficient space in 

 which to grow. 



The earliest Rose to flower in the 

 Arboretum this year is R. Ecae, a na- 

 tive of Afghanistan and Turkestan; it 

 has erect stems, leaves with small, 

 very lustrous leaflets, and pale yellow 

 flowers not more than an inch in diam 

 eter. The first flowers of R. Hugonis, 

 R. omeiensis and R. cinnamomea are 

 also opening. R. Hugonis has not be- 

 fore in the Arboretum been so full of 

 flower-buds, and to any one interested 

 in roses will well repay a visit. 



WHITEWASH FOR FLORISTS. 



Florists in using a whitewash often 

 desire one that will not rub or wash 

 off readily. The following formula is 

 said to furnish a whitewash of this 

 character: Two pounds of ordinary 

 glue is dissolved in seven pints of 

 water. Then six ounces bichromate 

 of potassium, already dissolved in a 

 pint of hot water, is added. Stir the 

 mixture well and add sufficient whit- 

 ing to make of the usual consist- 

 ency. Apply in the ordinary manner 

 as quickly as possible. 



This dries in a short time, and by 

 the action of light is converted into a 

 perfectly insoluble waterproof sub- 

 stance, which does not wash off even 

 with hot water, and, at the same time, 

 does not give rise to mould growth as 

 whitewash made with size often does. 

 It may be colored to any desired shade 

 by the use of a small quantity of any 

 aniline dye or powdered coloring mat- 

 ter. Once applied, it is said to last for 

 years. The addition of a small propor- 

 tion of calcic sulphite also increases its 

 antiseptic power considerably. 



